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When we arrived here a couple of months ago I ordered this cute and colourful table and chair for Otto. It is toddler sized, I was thinking of shortening the legs but now I'm not sure, the chair is low and the seat is wide which is great for toddlers. I needed some colour in my life, some colour in our spaces.

I might go over the top with colour at times but I like my home spaces to feel fun, lighthearted, fresh and spontaneous. On the internet and when talk about Montessori in general, we can all get a bit serious and for just one day, for just one blog post, it doesn't need to be like that. Today I'm daydreaming of bright, light-filled rooms with tasteful, colourful furnishings. Children's furniture doesn't need to be bold or brash, some of these colours would work for adult furniture too.

Lacking colour in your children's spaces? I've also used a dash of paint on spare chairs to colour things up a little (last picture here). Of course, colourful artwork and/or other transient furnishings can help too. I know there is a whole lot of information about colour theory and how colour can affect our moods but it can also make a space personal, individual and you!

Montessori environments including classrooms are known for being warm and home-like. But what if you have moved house or set up a new environment that has you feeling a little cold? Here are a few of the ways I've intentionally 'warmed up' some of our Montessori home environments. Most of these are super easy and quick to do.

Add life, add a plant. Air plants, seedlings, propagate some plants, full grown indoor plants will instantly add warmth to your area. Plants can work really well in an infant area but be selective in toddler areas. I recently put a plant on Otto's infant shelves (he's not at the crawling stage yet) and wow, it made a big difference, it's now a space I want to spend time in.

Add flowers, a small bud vase. Sometimes it's the little things. Even a few green leaves or some herbs from the garden in a glass jar can warm up an area, or try growing some plants in water! If plants or vases aren't going to work in your area due to safety, I'm thinking a toddler bedroom where you want it 100% child safe, how about putting them on a high window ledge or have a hanging plant, I'd love a hanging macrame planter!

Add texture and textiles. Floor rugs, wall hangings, cushions. Oversized cushions work well in reading areas. In Otis' reading corner we used some large cushions (he picked them out) and Otto's bedroom instantly feels warmer with a large wool floor rug.

Look for woven and baskets of natural materials. Book baskets, baskets holding napkins or pencils, look for a way to replace any plastic or unsightly receptacles with natural baskets.

Soft lighting. This can be difficult in an infant or toddler rooms but it worked really well in my older boys' rooms, both now have desk lamps which we put on in the evenings and it instantly makes their rooms feel cozier and gets them ready for bed. I've seen lamps used really well in Montessori children's houses to mark the end of the day. I've seen lots of Reggio environments use fairy lights (much like we did with Caspar's room here) to add a bit of warmth and sparkle.

Nature prints, watercolors paintings or child made art. Have a child, sibling or cousin make some small art pieces to put on the wall, even small pieces of art can make a difference. Waldorf stars on the window always look warm and inviting, they are simple and quick to make.

Always use timber picture frames. We have used white frames before but really love the warmth provided by light honey toned timber frames, again it makes a big difference.

Use Beeswax candles. Candles can help to warm up snack time or meals. A lovely friend suggested using some candles at breakfast when we first arrived to the UK and were really feeling the darkness in the mornings.

Pets. A small fish tank and hermit crabs have really helped some of our environments feel alive! Pets can last a lifetime though, so obviously choose for the right reasons.

A nature display. As pets aren't an option for us right now a small nature display works perfectly. Otis has a small tray in his room of some of his new nature finds and some viewing lenses (a magnifying glass would work too), it's little more than a few leaves, pine cones, interesting sticks and some rocks but it brings some of the outside, inside.

Mix old and new materials. Use some secondhand or perhaps vintage materials or furnishings, rugs or baskets. Throughout our new home we've used vintage, worn or handmade planters to help create a personal, warm feel.

Go for handmade whenever possible. For classrooms, this can be as simple as asking parents to make napkins or aprons. I can only sew simple things but love making tablecloths using unique prints. For things like children's napkins or aprons, I will often use Etsy. I love to use ceramic handmade vessels to hold odds and ends or handmade mini bowls in activity trays.

Use essential oils. Child-friendly essential oils can be both warming and calming, they can be found or included in a few products such as soaps, playdough or room spray. Even some dried lavender in a bowl can help make a space feel cozier.

Above Otto's room is now feeling warmer and cozier! Some baskets, a plant and, a wool rug has made all the difference.

A Montessori wardrobe is a child's wardrobe that is accessible and easy for the child to use, from toddlerhood. Why no excuses? Because I honestly believe no matter where you live or what resources you have, you are able to create a Montessori wardrobe for your child!

Firstly why does your child need to access their own wardrobe? Montessori wardrobes:

Teach life skills - self-dressing and organisation.

Promote independence.

Show respect towards the child - I respect you, I trust you and I will enable you to make your own clothing choices, often for little ones, it's a choice between one or two seasonally appropriate outfits.

Provide freedom and responsibility within limits in an age-appropriate way.

Help develop sense of self and self-pride.

Help develop self-expression.

How do you create a Montessori wardrobe? Think baskets and/or hanging space! Can you:

Order a child's wardrobe locally? There are some dress-up stands that would also work as a wardrobe.

Have one made, do you have local craftsperson who can help out?

DIY or adapt an existing wardrobe?

The above-pictured wardrobe is one that is made in Australia, it's gorgeous but a little on the pricey side. It may be worth investing if you know you can pass it on or will have more than one child use it. Below are a few of my own DIYs. The bottom two have stood the test of time and have lasted through my children's toddler years and beyond.

This above wardrobe is for Otto using a telescopic wardrobe extender and can be used at any height. This was really affordable, took a little strength to tighten it and it can only be used on thin/narrowish wardrobes. When I was looking around there were also bathroom/shower curtain extenders that would do a similar job.

This wardrobe was for Caspar (7 years) and Otis (4 years). They have baskets for their folding clothes. Caspar could reach and use the top rail, we used a wardrobe extender for Otis' low rail. This worked for us for so many years, it allowed two children to use the wardrobe and Otis to be able to access and look after all of his clothing. Otis is also on the small side, this would definitely work for younger children.

This wardrobe above has a wooden dowel at the child's height using curtain rail adapters at the ends, to help secure it to the wall. This worked for Caspar's and Otis' toddler years, although not height adjustable.

Other suggestions include;

Lowering a portable clothes rail / portable clothes rack.

Use wardrobe hanging shoe or sweater organisers.

Try an Ikea hack?

Visit a local organising/storage store for ideas, or even check out stores online.

As with so many Montessori materials for the home, it can take a little looking around and a lot of patience. Most of all, if you think out of the box it can be very affordable and completely worth it!

Is this the smallest Montessori bedroom you have ever seen? Otto has the smallest bedroom in the house. It's small and we will make the most of it! It's hard because his old Montessori bedroom looked like this - so complete, and we had to leave it all behind and start over again.

This time we have Otto in a wood bed. I was worried about the cold floor, but I shouldn't have, his room is always toasty. The bed is low enough that he can wriggle out when he's a little older but won't roll off the side. It's a good option if you have concerns about the child rolling out of bed, or just want something that looks super cute. The low shelves and Montessori bed are from Manine Montessori. They are not available right now but will be back soon, if you are interested you can email Leen to discuss, they are a lovely option for those living in the UK or Europe.

We are still rotating mobiles, Otto just loves them so much. Our butterfly mobile recently broke so we are using this hot air balloon mobile, the colours are so bold and the balloons spin around individually and then the mobile spins. The mini rainbow and the wood name puzzle are at this age, for decoration and to personalise the space. Otto can't reach the top shelf but there are some materials there for when he can sit and work (palmer and pincer grasp blocks). The bottom shelf has some crinkle and tag blankets, which are new. There is a book and a basket of various rattles, for hand development.

Otto is good at self-soothing, he talks, sucks his fingers and plays with his rabbit lovey until he falls asleep. This was obviously for a day time nap and I closed the curtains shortly after.

He is also a tummy sleeper.

When it comes to Montessori wardrobes I feel like I can deal with whatever is thrown at me! Here Otto has this little wardrobe, perfect for the telescopic wardrobe extender! You can put it at any height. This was cheap and really easy to do. The crochet basket on the floor has socks and woollen bonnets - which are essential at this time of year. We have these hangers, they are such good quality, I have to recommend them. When he is a little older I will remove some of the clothes (hang them up on the higher rod) so he has a small selection to choose from. He will be two when we move back to Australia where he has a wooden toddler wardrobe waiting for him.

His room only has one window but I often hold him here to look outside, it's nice to have some flowers and a few cute things to look at, when he's older he can play with the Grimm's boat and peg people.

Next to Otto's low shelf these is a little space perhaps for a small table and chair or even a ball tracker or small book shelf. I would like to put a mirror up for self-dressing. He has a little barn near the door and his floor mirror which is currently placed in front of the heater. I'm not sure how to baby proof the heater, the mirror is blocking it right now, but I'll need to consider some options. So, this is a work in progress. Keep in mind that Otto has lots of materials and a large playmat downstairs in our living area, as you can see here (first picture) - so he has lots more space to play in, but this is a peek inside his room!

We moved to the UK mid January however some of our (new/rented) furniture is still arriving and we only recieved our personal items from Australia last week. Finally, some shelves for Otto! This is a part of our living area, it is next to our dining area and adjacent to our kitchen (which is also our laundry!). This area is so well placed, I can be in the kitchen/laundry and still supervise him. I can be close if needed but he can have his space too. Because it's so close to our dining and kitchen, I think I might put his weaning table here too and it could double as a work table. Once organised I'll show you his tiny bedroom where he has his mirror, mobiles and, bed!

Caspar (10yrs) and Otis (6yrs) now have their own bedrooms. Previously they shared a room and slept in a bunk. It's was time, I felt they just needed their own space. I love how Otis has utilised his windowsill. Often you can see squirrels running through those trees outside.

Above are some shelves in Otis' room. His furniture only arrived yesterday so he is having fun arranging and re-arranging everything.

This little shelving unit is so cute I couldn't resist, it has two shelves and is toddler height. I picked it up from a thrift/vintage shop only this morning. It will house Otto's weaning materials such as placemats, bibs, napkins, plates, bowls, glasses and, utensils. I ordered his weaning table today. Unfortunately, his Me-Do-It chair didn't arrive, I hope it's been put into storage in Australia and not completely lost. This house is much smaller than our previous homes so our Montessori spaces might look a little different. I can't wait to fully unpack and organise!

Website: The Montessori Company - Home Environments has lovely interactive illustrations of infant and toddler (birth to three) bedrooms. While this is really useful for bedrooms only, it is really detailed and a fantastic guide.

Blogs: My favourites are here. Keep in mind that blogs are often very personal. You are taking a peek into someone else's home. This may give you lots of ideas and inspiration or it may not help you in your home environment. I suggest to read widely, note what you like and discard the rest.

If you are close to or if your children go to a Montessori school keep an eye out for any talks or presentations on setting up your home Montessori style, or why not ask if the school can put something on! Also, never be afraid to ask your child's teacher for help and advice.

If you are new to or just starting to look into Montessori in the home, I hope you've found this list helpful! Have a wonderful weekend!

I find myself procrastinating rather than working on finishing our Montessori nursery. It's more difficult this time as we know we will be moving once the baby is three to four months old. So I'm not only looking for fresh ideas and inspiration but I'm also trying to find some motivation. Here are a few Montessori infant spaces that I've been enjoying!

A lot of people don't fix the mirror to the wall, if the baby isn't moving I guess there is no need. This room has a few simple materials and lots of space for the child to work comfortably on the floor - a nice big movement area.

"It can be easy to over-complicate the Montessori philosophy. Trusting that the core of Montessori is simplicity & order is the key to unlocking the prepared environment and creating a space that allows for optimal development." This is what I need to hear! This account is by a Montessori consultant for 0-3 years!

This is just so soft and welcoming!

Loving the simplicity and order. No need to overfill those shelves.

This is a gorgeous Montessori bedroom in Brisbane (Australia)! Looking so comfortable and cozy.

This room is by a former Montessori teacher. I love to see how teachers create Montessori environments at home! Love the wall colour and the black and white artwork. That's a topponcino you can see on the little floor bed.

Taking a close look at the materials on these shelves and the low handing art work!

Large movement area with mirrors and a pull up bar. It's the colour and art work that sets this room apart!

Yesterday I wrote about some of my favorite illustrators and prints, today I am sharing some tips on how to hang that artwork in a young child's environment. Here are some of my tips and what has worked for us.

Hang artwork within the child's line of sight. For an infant's room I would put some artwork that is easily removable (possibly black and white/high contrast) at their level (lying down or for tummy time) but also some artwork that they will be able to look up and see when they are sitting or even standing. I would not put artwork higher than the child could see when they pull to stand, at or around nine to twelve months. This applies to their room, which belongs to them. Imagine how frustrating it would be to know there is beautiful artwork hanging on your wall and getting glimpses but not being able to see it clearly.

Artwork has many purposes to keep in mind:

To beautify the environment.

To create a sense of calm.

To personalize a space.

Can assist with visual perception.

Can assist with vocabulary, as the child points and begins to name things in their environment.

To express love, when we love a child we create an environment for the child, that is developmentally and culturally appropriate.

When the images are life-like or of known objects they can assist the child learn about the world around them.

Look for beautiful and inexpensive artwork, consider:

Artwork from siblings, family, and friends.

Pages from magazines (think National Geographic), calendars or old books.

Before the child can crawl, artwork can be attached to the wall with some simple blutac or something removable, however, once the child can crawl and is able to pull the artwork off the wall you want it more firmly attached. It's a good idea to have the artwork firmly attached before the child can reach it, once the child has learned the artwork will come off the wall they may keep on trying to remove it, it's best not to get to that stage.

The child's room needs to be 100% child safe, especially if you are using a floor bed. I have avoided using glass in the frames. Our local framer will cut perspex to size (to put in the frame) and I've ordered frames online that come with perspex as an option, which are also much lighter. Alternatively remove the glass from the frame completely. If you need to strengthen the image or want the child to be able to touch it, the image could be laminated prior to going into the frame. I have seen many images laminated and put on children's walls without framing, which works and can look really simple and beautiful. Some flashcards and the Bits of Intelligence Cards that we love, are a thick coated card, these can easily go into a frame without glass. I am also thinking of getting some of our artwork block mounted for our new Montessori nursery, I've done this previously with one of the boy's posters and it came out fantastic. Once block mounted the image could go directly on the wall, it removes the distraction of the frame and looks more streamlined!

I've never had a problem with my two children removing the images from the wall. I don't know if this is because they never found out they could come off the wall or if they never tried! For all of our images I have used the 3M Command Velcro Strips. They are removable and have worked really well for us. I use a lot of them to make sure the image and frame are really secure. In this beautiful Montessori nursery Meg notes that she has screwed the frames to the wall, which is a good option if you are happy to repair the wall afterwards.

Above Otis is 7 months old, he can see the artwork and it gives him an incentive to move towards his shelves to start pulling up, when he eventually does come to standing, he is directly in front of and can clearly see and focus on the artwork.

Beautiful and simple environment above with low hanging artwork at Three Oaks Blog. You can see how much the artwork contributes to this space! Michael Olaf (US) supplies frames (similar to that above) designed specifically for low hanging artwork in Montessori environments.

Once again I'm sharing some Montessori and child centred spaces to love from Instagram! These spaces are all so bright and colourful and all have Montessori features. Above is the lovely children's wardrobe from tadah! This shelving provides a place for everything. They have a good range of wooden Montessori furniture here (Brazil).

I've watched this space evolve and it's always ordered. I love that it's not over complicated!

Large blackboard! There are some lovely child centered spaces in this home. They have lots of plants and you know I love the whale posters. Can I move in? There are low children's shelves in the living area and a fish tank at a child/toddler height. Along with all the child centred features, it's also warm, inviting and unique.

This is the account of Sweet Home from Wood, which is an Etsy store that stocks these lovely floor beds! I also really like this room as it is has lots of shelves and is very ordered! Wow, these beds are so popular right now!

This is a lovely space from a Montessori family, and it's a good account to follow. They've only put out a small selection of clothes and have provided a hair brush and mirror for self-dressing.

This is a work space and it isn't as styled as the others but it's really practical and achievable. The shelves appear behind a couch area and there are lots of Montessori materials present, a soft rug to work on.

I hope you get as much inspiration from these spaces as I do! If you have a Montessori inspired space on Instagram that you would like to share please tag me @howwemontessori.

Today I'm going to challenge traditional thinking about baby change areas, or just prove how offbeat my thinking is. I like having the infant change area on the floor! It's safer for the child and makes the transition for the child to self-dressing that little bit easier. There are two main barriers to having the infant's change area on the floor; it's important to keep some creams, wipes etc out of the reach of the child and many parents have physical restrictions that prevent them from being able to comfortably change a baby on the floor (usually back or knee problems).

I also don't like any big or tall furniture in the infant's room. I like having everything at the child's height including low cupboards and shelves. The infant's room (if you have a Montessori nursery or floor bed) needs to be 110% child safe and although dressers and such can be secured to the wall I prefer not to have them there at all. I know some Montessori parents have the change area in the bathroom which removes the need for a change table in the child's room, which if you have the space, can make a lot of sense.

As soon as the child begins to walk we begin toilet learning and this when we have moved the change area out of the child's room and near the bathroom. Here are a few infant change areas that I really like!

1. At Kid Level - This is a change area for a 12-month-old, it includes a change pad, a small chair for dressing, a shelf with diapers and a comb and brush, and a laundry bag. It's really simple but so practical. So perfect and all on the child's level.

6. The Free Child - This change area is on a dresser but I love the comfortable wool cover and the black and white images on the wall.

I've seen a few Montessori change mats (on change tables and dressers) with mobiles that hang above the child. This could work if the child had time to concentrate on the mobile but I wouldn't want to break the child's concentration when it was time to finish and to put the child down from the change table, and for safety reasons you couldn't just leave the child there to finish their work with the mobile. I love the idea of having high contrast images or for an older child visually appealing images for them to focus on but again I wouldn't want to break the child's concentration. Please feel free to leave your thoughts on what change area set up has worked best for you!

Like most Montessori families, we have children's spaces in all of our rooms, we don't have a specific 'Montessori' area. We have a space for our children in our entry way, outdoors, on our decks, bathroom etc.

Our children's areas have evolved naturally over the years. Due to the children's ages (Otis is six and Caspar is nine) the focus really isn't on independence as it was in the toddler years. Our home areas are designed to:

Support the child's natural development and growth.

Be respectful of the child's individual needs.

Be comfortable, welcoming and warm.

Follow the child's interests.

Inspire.

Maintain a healthy, family environment where everyone is capable of making a contribution.

Order is still really important however there are times I find it's best to allow the children to maintain (as much as possible) their own work areas. There is something to be said about respecting the child and their natural tendencies (some children just tidier than others!). However, we ensure a base level of order is maintained and having clear work spaces is key to this.

Practical life - Otis has spilled some paint so he sweeps then washes the floor. All of those earlier practical life skills are being put to good use. Teach a three-year-old to use a dustpan and you'll have a six-year-old who is capable of caring for their environment. Practical life is always with a purpose!

Below is the boys' food preparation area. Small fridge and toaster oven. Otis will spend hours here baking, while Caspar will simply reheat or cook a premade pizza. They use the same spaces but often in different ways. All of the boys' (refrigerated) snack foods and drinks are in the children's fridge. The boys have drawers in the kitchen for their things and the lower shelf in our pantry also contains lots of snack foods (unrefrigerated) and kitchen tools.

The boys' shelves in their room reflect their interests. Some of the materials are rotated frequently while others are permanent fixtures.

Otis has a nature shelf with a nature box, microscope, and other interesting items.

A special collection of rocks and minerals.

Nature items (including dead bugs!).

There is a science shelf which is rotated frequently, it currently has some books, a light exploration tray and a tray for their Little Bits (electronic/circuit projects). The bottom shelf has construction/building materials. Caspar's novels are in the top cupboard. The boys' most used puzzles and board games are in the bottom cupboard.

Each child has a work table and underneath Caspar's table are tubs full of Lego technic.

I haven't shown many of our areas such as the light table, boys' reading area, wardrobe and art table. We have Judo mats and a Table Tennis table downstairs and some gross movement materials (ladder, swings, hammock) outside. However, I hope you've enjoyed this brief look around!

I've featured some amazing Montessori wardrobes before, but what if you are not able to DIY, don't have an Ikea nearby or just want to order something ready made? Here are some really lovely ready made options. You can see some of these were designed for dress-up clothing but work perfectly as a child's wardrobe/closet. The prices vary, I would be more likely to invest in a child's wardrobe if I knew it was going to be passed on to other children.

I wouldn't store all of the child's clothing in their wardrobe just a small collection of clothes for them to choose from. The child can easily select their clothing for the day, get dressed as independently as possible, put away their clean laundry and have ownership over their room including keeping their wardrobe (mostly) tidy. I love that a couple of these little wardrobes have a mirror on the side, it's a great idea!

Today we are reviewing our Felt Ball Rug from Felt Ball Rugs Australia. I've chosen this rug for our Montessori nursery but it works in almost any room in the home. It will be perfect for our baby to lie on and it adds a nice touch of colour to the room!

Rugs offer so much to the home; warmth, comfort, colour and texture. In the Montessori home, rugs are perfect to define an area. They are ideal for a work area, a reading nook, in front of low shelves, in the dressing area. There are some considerations I would always make in choosing a rug for a children's area; it needs to be safe, non-toxic, from natural materials and ethically made. So do you like our Felt Ball Rug? Let me tell you a little about it!

Our Felt Ball Rug is c/o Felt Ball Rugs Australia. It is handmade in Nepal under fair trade conditions from premium quality New Zealand wool. The wool is coloured using natural dyes and is free from chemicals and other toxins. Felt Ball Rugs Australia is a family owned company with a history of working in Nepal. You can meet the makers here. All rugs come with a 1-year warranty and they offer free shipping worldwide - please see the website for conditions and further details.

I hope you can see from the images how soft and cozy the rug is. It has absolutely no out-gases or odour. It is also really sturdy and really well made.

I love this rug for our nursery, however, I wanted to show you how versatile it is. Here it is shown in our children's work area. It is so comfortable to sit, kneel or lie on. Because of the felt wool balls the rug is nice and thick and offers lots of padding and warmth, it would be so useful on hardwood floors or in the classroom! We've had rugs and mats before that are made from natural fibres that are really scratchy, but not this one. The children are drawn to this rug and love to lie and read on it. I can't wait for our baby to arrive and give it a try!

You can find out more about Felt Ball Rugs here and you can also follow on Instagram. Thank you to Felt Ball Rugs Australia for providing us with a natural and well-made product that adds so much beauty to our home!

Do you have a music basket or music shelves in your home? When Otis was an infant we had a plan toys drum on his low bedroom shelves. He would crawl over and loved sitting there banging on his drum. Over the years we've had lots of variations of a music basket including lots of rhythm instruments. Here are a few music baskets and shelves I really love, they are all very unique, enticing and beautiful!

The baskets are displayed and used almost like treasure baskets, for the child to explore. The shelves are true to Montessori principles, they have order and there is a space for everything. We introduced a CD player in the toddler years, play silks make a nice addition to music shelves too!

For instruments I feel inspired by these, I love the natural look and feel and how you can combine some cultural studies into the experience.

In our home, the purpose of art is for creativity and self-expression. Sometimes it's about healing or processing the day's events. I have found free art can bring a sense of calm to the child. Great things happen spontaneously when children are free from judgement and where there are no expectations. The way to achieve this has been to provide free access to age appropriate art materials. The children have over time earned trust with the materials and are able to access the materials as they wish and to create as they wish. While our art area is in a fully open and supervised area, they can work without anyone hovering, they don't have to ask for permission or explain their work to anyone. It provides a freedom that can't be obtained when a child is dependent on an adult.

I have previously written about our art area and have shown it's evolution over time here. For a younger child (such a toddler) we have presented relatively low mess art materials on trays as shown here. We apply the same principles to art that we apply to toys and other materials. We rotate, keeping out the favourites and most used while occasionally introducing new and exciting materials. Otis (pictured here) is really interested in thick, gloopy paint. He wants to use it in copious amounts, he wants to put his fingers in it and fingerpaint, smudge and push it around. Here he has freely chosen some natural materials including flowers to make prints.

Our art area is in a tiled area, it is next to our outdoor deck (second story) which also has a child size clothes line which is now solely used for hanging art, and a bucket that we fill with warm water with lavender soap whenever the children are painting (for hand washing). Since having children I have lived in three houses in different climates and assure you, in some way, it is possible to create a freely accessible art area for your child, it may be small, it may be limited, but it is possible.

There are times where we have used permanent dyes and this has been the exception, where close supervision and permission is required, there are always going to be exceptions. We observe our children and see what they are capable of, we put trust in their abilities and empower them, we provide them with daily opportunities to develop, to reach their potential, we support and we challenge them. We do this with art as much as any other area in their life.

(If you are local I highly recommend paint by Educational Colours. All of their paint is made and tested in Australia and it's economical.)